It’s hard to enjoy NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics without fearing Bob Costas is going to turn into a zombie before our very eyes and start chewing on producers and cameramen like an extra in The Walking Dead. The longtime anchor’s condition is worsening as the games go on, to the point where we seriously need to have the conversation about removing his head with an axe. I like Bob Costas, everyone likes Bob Costas, but I’m afraid the Bob Costas we once knew is beyond saving and he can’t be trusted. Once he completely turns, he will feast on everyone he can sniff out, turning them, too.

Costas said last week he is suffering from a minor left eye infection and it will resolve itself by the weekend. Yeah, that’s what everyone says after being bitten. It’s called denial and wanting to stay alive. Now it’s Tuesday and both of his eyes are redder than Mark Stoops’ face in Columbia. We can’t believe your lie any longer, Bob. You’re either a mindless, flesh-hungry, reanimated corpse, or you broke the No. 1 strip club rule, in Sochi of all places, and I don’t see any traces of glitter on your face. Someone get the axe.

Here’s tonight’s News and Views…

The new Rupp Arena drawings are out.

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray and Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear released nine new renderings of the proposed Rupp District renovation on Monday at a press conference in the Lexington Center. (Click here if you haven’t seen them.) If things go as planned, the new design will make the University of Kentucky basketball’s home the “gold standard” arena in college basketball, with several other improvements to the surrounding downtown area. Maybe the most eye-catching feature of the new look will be the transparent skin of the structure, allowing fans inside to see the happenings outside and vice versa. The new design will also include a Catwalk, an exterior corridor between the Hyatt and arena that will connect the venue to downtown. The outdoor Catwalk will have new retail and will be where the current food court/escalators are now inside.

Chair back seats!!! OMG!!!

The upper level of the renovated Rupp Arena will feature wider, chair back seats with improved leg room and sight lines. In a Monday morning meeting with the mayor and architects, I was told they will be able to maintain the overall capacity of Rupp while upgrading the upper level seating. One of the ways that can be done will be by bringing some of the upper level seating down to the lower bowl. They will also adjust the incline of the upper level so it doesn’t feel like you’ll land on the court if you lean too far forward.

R.I.P. Big Bertha. Hello, center-hung video scoreboard!

And outdoor video screens! There will be video screens, OUTSIDE!

High-five!!!

Keep in mind, it still has to be paid for.

Mayor Gray was quick to remind everyone that nothing is official until they lock down the funding to pay for the project. Governor Beshear put $65 million in the budget from the state, but the overall estimated price tag is $310 million. Where the rest of that money will come from is currently unknown, but Beshear said he is confident it will get done.

UK still isn’t officially on board, but Dewayne Peevy, UK’s representative at the press conference, said “it won’t happen without us.” Lexington Center chairman Brent Rice said UK’s financial contribution will come once a new lease is signed; the current lease is through 2018 but they’re working on a new deal. There are plans to have a big celebratory press conference with Mitch Barnhart and UK president Eli Capilouto when the lease is signed, according to Peevy.

It will be ready for the 2017-18 basketball season.

That’s the plan, at least.

Watch the Rupp Arena animation fly-through.

Kentucky moved up four spots to No. 14 in the AP poll.

The Associated Press released its updated Top 25 on Monday and the Wildcats are up four spots to No. 14 in the new rankings. Kentucky got a little help from losses by Texas, Creighton and Michigan last week, and jumped Iowa to reach its new spot, one place behind Louisville.

Syracuse, Arizona, Florida, Wichita State and San Diego State make up the top AP five for a second week in a row.

Kentucky is No. 13, up one spot, in the USA Today coaches poll.

It is supposed to snow in Auburn Wednesday night.

Because, why wouldn’t it? The Cats are scheduled to be in Auburn for a Wednesday night clash with the Tigers, and Mother Nature plans to attend another game with her wintry mix.

We’ll preview the game over the next two days, but for now, just know the bad weather will follow UK basketball yet again.

According to CoachingSearch.com, an affiliate of our friends at 247Sports, UK safeties and special teams coach Bradley Dale Peveto is a candidate to fill the special teams position in Baton Rouge. Dale Peveto served as the Tigers’ special teams coach during the 2007 national championship season, one of his four years as a member of Les Miles’ first staff from 2005-2008.

Nine Tennessee football players busted at house party with booze, weed and fights.

This one is so big it made TMZ. Arrests were made at an off-campus house party thrown by former linebacker Dontavis Sapp. Defensive tackle Danny O’Brien is facing charges of resisting arrest, underage drinking and criminal impersonation, while linebacker A.J. Johnson was charged with providing alcohol to minors and resisting arrest. Three others were cited with four more Vols on the list of underage drinkers at the party.

It has been awhile since Tennessee football has gotten into trouble, so it’s good to know the Vols are returning to their true form.

KSR is at Sleep Outfitters Tuesday morning.

Matt Jones and Ryan Lemond will be LIVE from Sleep Outfitters in Lexington (2303 Woodhill Drive) Tuesday morning for the radio show. Stop by and you’ll have the chance to win two tickets to the Kentucky/Florida game this weekend and free pillows from Sleep Outfitters. See you there?

Everybody likes Bob Costa????? What??!! Millions very much dislike Bob Costas. Where the hell have you been Drew, under a rock? I wish he were a zombie, we would all have a great excuse to attach an explosive devise to him.

Despite the terrible coaching of Webber Kansas St. still beat Kansas. Six loses now for Kansas and another loss to an unranked team. How on earth can they stay in the top ten now with six loses but the polls are really wacky and who knows. On another note watching Wiggens, this guy plays no defense at all. Never once did I see him stop anyone. KU is not all that believe me.

These polls are a joke!!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many overrated teams as this year. I don’t care how great they played, Duke went up 7 spots after a loss to an overrated Syracuse (Yea I know they’re undefeated) team! Syracuse hasn’t played anyone decent on the road and they usually don’t which leads them to getting upset early in the tournament. Wichita State just plays cupcakes for most of the season yet ESPN acts like they’re a legit 1 seed. I like Kentucky’s chances given that there is no dominant team this year. Florida, the team we play Saturday, is one of the few teams deserving of their rank, but I think their very beatable.

Speaking of zombies, could The Walking Dead have been a bigger letdown? Let’s do 25 minutes of advertising and incredibly lazy writing of flashbacks. Weak. And lets spend half of that on a kid mad at the dad. I’m sure we can all relate to a dbag kid mad at his dad in the zombie apocalypse.

Eh, I felt The Walking Dead was a let down from its second episode ever. (Oddly enough it’s first episode was one of the best TV pilots I have ever seen.) I hold it to a higher standard because I have read the excellent comic it is based off of. I discussed this with a friend of mine but if TV Rick ever ran up against comic Rick, comic Rick would kill him swiftly and brutally because he couldn’t take such a wuss existing with his name.

How do all these rightwing rednecks feel about Beshear trying to make this happen? Who’s he taking money from? Do you care since it’s something you want? I know you are all the kings of hypocrisy but shouldn’t you be resisting this since a democrat is helping? Isn’t it all the fault of Obamacare? Do you phonies stand for anything?

Bob Costas looked up to the sky in Sochi. Regrettably, he was standing right underneath a dead person, and its blood fell into his eye. Now he has the rage. He is going to lose it during the curling finals.

C’mon, Costas broke the strip club rule. So great for promoting the children of the BBN to read articles on this site. And you don’t put some comments on your site form much, much less.
That’s a gross comment for anyones daughter reading this site.

just a question. Why place large video screens outside? Who is going to stand out there and wathc the game. If Im watching a basketball game in Dec, Jan, Feb in Lexington, it certainly wont be standing downtown watching it on TV. Otherwise I really like the remodel. But if the budget needs cuts, I say the large outdoor screens are the first to go. Looks awesome, but makes no sense. It looks like something you would see in a large downtown metropolitan area, except its in the middle of lexington (a city with an actual population of less than 250K)

The video looks nice, but why are there still only 8 banners up?? The plan says the rennovations will be completed and ready for the 2017-2018 season. What, the architects don’t expect us to win it all again before then?? Blasphemy! They do know that we got rid of BCG awhile back, right?? Or maybe they understand that you can’t win with freshmen.

Everybody loves Costas? No, he’s another no it all, arrogant, let me give you my leftist views during a sports event little prick! I challenge anyone to give me an example of someone on the right that does the same while doing a sporting event.

I agree with Just Saying above, but I will take it a step further – the whole catwalk, outdoor retail, hang out around the arena concept seems to miss the point that for 80% of the games it is too cold to be outside for any length of time for most attendees. Not to mention that a big majority of fans just seem to want to get the heck out of downtown as fast as possible, and in my opinion that is not because they don’t like their entertainment options or the vibe around the arena – it is because for most games it is freezing cold, possibly raining / snowing, late, and all the people that can afford the tickets just want to get home to bed. The concept might increase the numbers that hang out for warmer month concerts, July 4th, etc., but the big money renovation (of the arena) is about UK basketball, or at least it should be, which seems to me would be better served with MORE indoor stuff, not less.

I am a huge UK fan, and my family has season tickets that we will keep no matter what, but this “build it (outside) and they will come (or stay)” idea seems to me to misunderstand the Lexington populace. I hope I am wrong, because a vibrant and active downtown to hang out in outside sounds great in theory….